Seven Years Later
by book.pebbles
Summary: Seven years later, Ty is released from his prison sentence and is wandering the streets of London, where he suddenly runs into a familiar face.


It had been exactly sixteen days since Ty's prison sentence had ended, and he planned on making the most of it. Fifteen years ago, he had been obsess with a girl. Seven years ago, he had kidnapped her, thinking he was saving her and freeing her from the horrible life she lead. Six and a half years ago, he had fallen in love, and he wasn't so sure the feeling was one-sided.

But that was all in the past. His time in prison had made him think. Even though his intentions weren't bad, and he never meant to hurt Gemma, he knew it was wrong. He had a feeling, on the first days of Gemma's arrival, when she wouldn't even look at him, that maybe he had made a mistake. But oh, how he wished it would change and he wouldn't have to feel that way. Maybe, in another world, they could have been happy, together. Maybe, in a different universe, they would have falling in love, all over again.

But again, that was in the past, and he was in the present.

After he got out of prison, his first instinct was to go back to the desert. He missed his plants, his painting, and the little creatures he had befriended, and what it felt like to be connected with nature and the earth... He might have even gotten another camel, although none would ever replace the space Gemma's camel had in his heart.

He shook the idea out of his head; it was too sad for him to remember that place, especially now that he knew he would never be able to return with Gemma. And honestly, he knew it would never quite be the same without her.

Which is why he was here, in London, right now. He knew she probably never wanted to see him again, and he was okay with that, he'd made his peace with it.

So that wasn't the reason why he was here. He was here because he thought that he at least owed it to her. He wanted to learn what the life she claimed to be so fond of was really like. So there he was, wandering the busy streets of London, in hopes of finding something passionate, something worth exploring, anything to make him feel just a little bit closer to her...

And just then, it felt like faith was on his side and had given him a little nudge in the right direction. Her direction. There, just across the street from him, was Gemma, beautiful as ever.

She hadn't yet spotted him, but she was walking in his direction. And even though she was looking at the ground as she walked, he could see that she hadn't changed all that much. She was sixteen when he took her, so she would be about twenty three by now. Her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, and she was wearing black pants and a light blue coat over a white shirt, probably on her way back from work. Ty wondered where she did work, and he was anxious to find out, but he stopped himself.

He stopped himself, because he knew, despite the ache he felt in his chest, that he cared about Gemma enough to leave her alone, to turn around and walk away.

But just as he was turning to leave, trying to follow the wind's trail, she spotted him.

The made eye contact and maintained it for what seemed like decades, and when she finally broke it, it seemed as if thought something small and fragile had broken inside him too.

When Gemma found the courage to look back at him, it was only for a moment, because he started backing away from where she was standing, starting to run away. Away from her, away from this pain.

"Wait." he heard her half-yell. Her voice sounded almost the same, with just a few years added to it.

His head was full of thoughts and emotions, so many that he couldn't think where he was going. He spotted a somewhat dark corridor and ducked inside it, trying to catch his breath and reassemble his thoughts. He sat down all the way at the end of the corridor, in the darkest corner he could find, and took a few deep breaths.

But just as he was about to get up and leave, Gemma appeared on the other side of the corridor. She was breathing hard too, but she tried—and failed—not to let it show.

"Ty." she said, keeping enough distance between them.

He couldn't read her face, as much as he tried to, but he knew he wouldn't be able to get away...


End file.
